284 CALLOGRAPHY. 



of the Greeks. To the sacred poets, succeeded the rhapsodists, or 

 minstrels ; who rehearsed the genealogy of the gods, the origin of 

 the world, and the exploits of demigods and heroes ; but their rhap- 

 sodies were all eventually eclipsed by the compositions of Hesiod 

 and Homer. 



The principal epic poems of the Greeks, are the Iliad and the 

 Odyssey, both attributed to Homer, who is styled the father of epic 

 poetry. There seems but little doubt that these works were essen- 

 tially composed by him ; though many scholars suppose that they 

 were not committed to writing till the times of Solon, or later. The 

 subject of the Iliad, is the wrath of Achilles against Agamemnon ; 

 the misfortunes of the Greeks, on the withdrawal of the former ; and 

 their success, in the conquest and destruction of Troy, on his return. 

 The Odyssey, describes the wanderings of Ulysses, after the fall of 

 Troy ; with his dangers and sufferings, till his safe return arid ree's- 

 tablishment in his kingdom, the isle of Ithaca. These works differ 

 so much in subject and style, that some writers have attributed them, 

 piecemeal, to various rhapsodists, collectively styled the Homeridx, 

 of whom Homer is admitted to have been the chief. The Batra- 

 chomyomachy, or battle of the frogs and mice, a mock heroic poem, 

 attributed to Homer, was, doubtless, the work of a later age. The 

 Theogony of Hesiod has been classed as an epic poem ; treating of 

 the origin and acts of the gods of Grecian fable. The Jlrgonaulics, 

 of Apollonius Rhodius, relating to the Argonautic Expedition, is a 

 work of some merit. The Perseid, Thebaid, and other epic poerns 

 of note, are lost : but the Dionysiacs of Nonnus, and the Paralipo- 

 mena of Calaber, written in a later age, are preserved ; though of 

 minor importance. The cyclic poets, were imitators of Homer, of 

 inferior note. 



Grecian lyric poetry, was written in a great variety of metres, 

 many of which were named from their inventors. Of the odes of 

 Sappho, two only have been preserved, remarkable for their warm 

 and tender feeling; one of them being a hymn to Venus. Many 

 odes of Anacreon, have been preserved, most of them in praise of 

 love, wine, and social pleasures. Pindar, sang, in more lofty strains, 

 the praises of the victors, in the great public games of Greece ; and 

 many of his odes are still extant. The odes of Archilochus, Alcman, 

 Alcseus, and others, have almost entirely perished. The poems called 

 scolia, were songs for social and festive occasions. Callinus, of 

 Ephesus, is said to have written the first poem in elegiac measure, 

 which was properly a lyric ; but Mimnermus, and Simonides, are 

 regarded as the first elegiac poets, properly so called. Of Grecian 

 pastoral poetry, the invention of which was attributed to Daphnis, 



* 1 . , . T / . . / ~ /* * I'M - * A... . 1 . 



Song 



Of Grecian didactic poetry, the earliest specimen is the Works 

 and Days of Hesiod; the first book of which consists principally of 

 moral precepts, and the second of rules of husbandry ; concluding 

 with a repetition of precepts on the conduct of life. The term 

 gnomic poetry, has been applied to collections of moral precepts or 



